Optical disks represent a significant percentage of the market for data storage of software as well as photographic, video, and audio data. Typically, optical disks have data patterns contained on the disk that can be read from one side of the disk, and a graphic display printed on the other side of the disk. Various optical disk formats are currently available such as CD, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, HD DVD, and Blu-ray. Other optical disk formats are also available.
In order to identify the contents of the optical disk, printed patterns or graphic display information can be provided on the non-data side of the disk. The patterns or graphic display can be both decorative and provide pertinent information about the data content of the disk. In the past, commercial labeling has been routinely accomplished using screen-printing methods. While this method can provide a wide variety of label content, it tends to be cost ineffective for the production of less than about 400 disks because of the fixed costs associated with preparing a stencil or combination of stencils and printing the desired pattern or graphic display.
In recent years, the significant increase in the use of optical disks for data storage by consumers has increased the demand to provide customized labels to indicate the content of the optical disk. Most consumer available methods of labeling include either handwritten descriptions or preprinted labels which may be affixed to the disk, but handwritten labels lack a professional appearance while affixed labels may adversely affect the disk performance upon spinning at high speeds.
Recently, a variety of dye-containing compositions have been developed for use on optical disks as disk labeling technology. In particular, disk labeling technology exists that forms text and/or graphics directly onto the label side of a CD or DVD using the optical drive's laser and a specially coated disk.
The coating on a dye-containing disk can change color or chemical structure when it's exposed to the CD/DVD drive's laser. The process is similar to film exposure, except the surface reacts specifically to the intense light of a particular wavelength emitted by the laser.
Forming an image onto a label side of a disk typically involves several components. These components include an optical drive that selectively outputs the laser light onto corresponding locations on the disk surface to form the spots that make up the labeled image. In addition, a disk with a label side layer containing a photosensitive dye layer is used. Software is used to manage the imaging process of the optical drive and determine which locations on the disk will be optically exposed and which locations will not be exposed.
One characteristic of many such label creation systems is that the disk must be flipped over in the drive after the digital data has been written to it in order to then form the image on the label side of the disk. This can be time consuming and inconvenient to a user.